The following is my morning radio monologue. I hope you’ll consider it as we await the verdict in the Chauvin trial. — Erick The founders of our country were no fans of democracy. That's why people get upset when you say democracy, instead of a republic. Now, the reality is that the Greeks used the word democracy and the Romans used the word republic. We're technically a Republic with democratic components. It's complicated. Our founders didn't like democracy as constructed by the Greeks, the direct democracy. They decided to go with the Roman Republican-style where individuals gave representatives the power to choose for them, instead of the Greek direct democracy. The Roman version was a representative democracy where the Roman citizens would elect people to go represent them in the Roman Senate. The Greeks in Athens in the early days of democracy were when all the people showed up and considered rules and legislation. That's what the founders didn't like. They didn't like mob rule. They did not like the mob being able to bully and badger people into getting their way.
All I know is the plot of land on an island I bought 14 years ago, far away from this country, is looking better and better everyday to build on and move to.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. . . . [W]henever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it . . . ."
If your people are being killed by officers of your government without consequence, they are quite literally being denied life, not to mention liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Their government thus being "destructive of these ends," the Framers might well have condoned the efforts of those citizens to "alter" their government by compelling it to begin holding its officers accountable.
Now most of the instances in which protests have become riots were not justified in my view; among other reasons, coming as they have before the legal process has been allowed to play out. But what you have to understand is that questionable police killings are just the tip of the iceberg. Black folk have been beaten and abused with impunity by the police for as long as anyone can remember, and that gets really old after 100 or so years. Especially with the advent of police body cams, I do not suggest that this is still widespread, but it used to be - especially in our "inner" cities - and I have little doubt that an occasional "tune-up" does still occur that few people will ever even hear about. And that is not to mention the ongoing frustration still prevalent among younger African Americans at being pulled over under pretexts substantially amounting to DWB ("Driving While Black"). All this stuff festers. As I said before, I don't condone the rioting that we have seen since George Floyd's killing, but as Chris Rock once joked, "I understand."
Indeed, taking them at their word, I think the Framers would have understood.
(And I am not just taking advantage of some convenient wording that they happened to adopt in the Declaration of Independence. Ever hear of the Boston Tea Party?)
You should really be ashamed of this monologue, Erick. Waters didnt essentially say burn down the city. You are committing the very sins you accuse the "mob" of committing by paraphrasing her comments to make them spund worse.. If what Chauvin did isnt murder what do you call it? There was no humanity in what he did. He wasn't performing his duty. I really thought you were better than this, sir. If people regardless of political leanings cant agree that this was murder then we are really worse off than we thought. And then you seem to mitigate what the INSURRECTIONISTS did on Jan 6th.
Matthew Williams, a black man was shot and killed by all black policemen on Friday. He was having a mental health crisis. Nary a word. Say his name, Matthew Williams.
When the Mob intimidates others, and they get their way, that fuels more intimidation! If the Mob doesn't get their way with the verdict, they will continue to destroy property and the lives that property represents. If the verdict comes back in the Mob's favor, then they will continue to destroy property demanding more and more! America loses either way!
You really don't get it!!! People go into the streets when they feel otherwise powerless in the face of the established order when it is seen as the fomenter of injustice. Why do you think the people of Myanmar are in the streets right now? Why do you think the people of Belarus went into the streets after a rigged election? And the violence you attribute to one side only. All I have to say is that breaking glass windows, burning cars, etc. are not permanent, the taking of a human life is.
Problematic? “Having his knee on that man's neck for almost nine minutes clearly after George Floyd had stopped struggling is problematic.” Issuing an unwarranted traffic ticket is “problematic.” Having his knee on that man's neck for almost nine minutes clearly after George Floyd had stopped struggling is a felony.
Please be careful quoting Maxine Waters saying essentially burning down the city. I am NOT a supporter of hers at all but think it is dangerous to paraphrase. I heard her tirade and it was inappropriate but I did not hear say those words. Truth matters
All I know is the plot of land on an island I bought 14 years ago, far away from this country, is looking better and better everyday to build on and move to.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. . . . [W]henever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it . . . ."
If your people are being killed by officers of your government without consequence, they are quite literally being denied life, not to mention liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Their government thus being "destructive of these ends," the Framers might well have condoned the efforts of those citizens to "alter" their government by compelling it to begin holding its officers accountable.
Now most of the instances in which protests have become riots were not justified in my view; among other reasons, coming as they have before the legal process has been allowed to play out. But what you have to understand is that questionable police killings are just the tip of the iceberg. Black folk have been beaten and abused with impunity by the police for as long as anyone can remember, and that gets really old after 100 or so years. Especially with the advent of police body cams, I do not suggest that this is still widespread, but it used to be - especially in our "inner" cities - and I have little doubt that an occasional "tune-up" does still occur that few people will ever even hear about. And that is not to mention the ongoing frustration still prevalent among younger African Americans at being pulled over under pretexts substantially amounting to DWB ("Driving While Black"). All this stuff festers. As I said before, I don't condone the rioting that we have seen since George Floyd's killing, but as Chris Rock once joked, "I understand."
Indeed, taking them at their word, I think the Framers would have understood.
(And I am not just taking advantage of some convenient wording that they happened to adopt in the Declaration of Independence. Ever hear of the Boston Tea Party?)
You should really be ashamed of this monologue, Erick. Waters didnt essentially say burn down the city. You are committing the very sins you accuse the "mob" of committing by paraphrasing her comments to make them spund worse.. If what Chauvin did isnt murder what do you call it? There was no humanity in what he did. He wasn't performing his duty. I really thought you were better than this, sir. If people regardless of political leanings cant agree that this was murder then we are really worse off than we thought. And then you seem to mitigate what the INSURRECTIONISTS did on Jan 6th.
Matthew Williams, a black man was shot and killed by all black policemen on Friday. He was having a mental health crisis. Nary a word. Say his name, Matthew Williams.
When the Mob intimidates others, and they get their way, that fuels more intimidation! If the Mob doesn't get their way with the verdict, they will continue to destroy property and the lives that property represents. If the verdict comes back in the Mob's favor, then they will continue to destroy property demanding more and more! America loses either way!
You really don't get it!!! People go into the streets when they feel otherwise powerless in the face of the established order when it is seen as the fomenter of injustice. Why do you think the people of Myanmar are in the streets right now? Why do you think the people of Belarus went into the streets after a rigged election? And the violence you attribute to one side only. All I have to say is that breaking glass windows, burning cars, etc. are not permanent, the taking of a human life is.
The best fix for this problem is Chauvin spending the rest of his life in jail.
Problematic? “Having his knee on that man's neck for almost nine minutes clearly after George Floyd had stopped struggling is problematic.” Issuing an unwarranted traffic ticket is “problematic.” Having his knee on that man's neck for almost nine minutes clearly after George Floyd had stopped struggling is a felony.
Double standards suck! What is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander!!
Please be careful quoting Maxine Waters saying essentially burning down the city. I am NOT a supporter of hers at all but think it is dangerous to paraphrase. I heard her tirade and it was inappropriate but I did not hear say those words. Truth matters